Heel



1. G. ROBERTSON.

HEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6,1918.

Patented June 7, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEE T 1.

1. G. ROBERTSON.

HEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6.1918.

Patented June 7, 1921.

3 SHEEN-SHEET 2.

J. G. ROBERTSON.

HEEL.

APPLIICATION FILED JUNE 6, 191a.

Patented June 7, 1921' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I 5 wwwtoz asoses.

Application filed June 6, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES G. ROBERTSON, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heels, of which the following is a specification.

lhis invention relates to heels, and the prime object thereof is to provide a heel which will remain straight through use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device designed to be used upon the heel of a boot or shoe, such that it will insure an even wearing of the heel through its frictional contact with the ground.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above character designed to be used upon the heel of a boot or shoe, such that the appearance of the heel is not changed, the device being substantially invisible when the boot or shoe is being worn.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles, constituting-the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated preferred forms of embodiments of my invention:

Figure 1 is a plan view showing the bot tom surface of a heel equipped with my improved device.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line II-II of Fig.1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are plan and elevational views respectively,-of a detail of construction.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the bottom of the heel and illustrating a different em.-

another embodiment of my invention.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 7, 1921.

Serial No. 238,446.

bodiment of the invention.

R eferring now to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and particularly to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 in elusive, the reference numeral 1 denotes the body portion of the heel to which my improved device is attached. 2 denotes a sup port which is positioned interiorly of the heel, preferably near the central portion thereof, said support being held in position by the various layers of leather of which heels are commonly constructed. Points, such as 3, are provided upon the support 2 to prevent the same from rotating. Support 2 is provided with a socket 4:, which receives a ball 5 of a member 6, the ball 5 and socket 4 forming the ordinary ball and socket oint, which permits the member 6 to rotate as well a to vibrate or oscillate upon the support 2.

The bottom of the heel is provided with a circular recess, indicated at 7 slightly undercut as shown, which is adapted to receive a friction disk 8, which may be formed of leather, rubber, or other suitable material. This disk is mounted upon the member 6 as by means of the points 9, it being understood that the part are so located that the disk may revolve within .its opening through the provision of the ball and socket joint just described. It will also be understood that the member 6 and disk 8 are securely and non-rotatably fastened together. 10 indicates a wear piece which is located directly behind the disk 8 and partly surrounds the same, as indicated in Fig. 1, said wear piece being securely fastened to the heel proper as by means of the nails or rivets 11. I prefer to employ a number of these metallic nails or rivets for fastening the wear piece in position, so that during the use of the shoe these metallic members will prolong the life of the piece which they are employed. to secure in position. The forward surface of the wear piece 10 is also slightly cut away, as indicated at 12.

Located beneath the rear edge of the disk 8, and immediately forward of the wear piece 10, is a spring member 13, one end of which is fastened to the heel as by means of a nail or rivet passing through the aperture 14, the other end being free. This spring member conforms to the contour of the interior of the front edge of the wear member 10. The spring, it will be noted from Fig. 4: of the drawing, is also slightly bowed, and is provided with an upstanding stud 15, the purpose of which will be presently apparent. It will be noted that this spring when in po sition tends slightly to lift the rear edge of the disk 8 above the surrounding surface Having described the construction of this embodiment of my invention, the operation thereof may now be understood.

During the act of walking the contact of the heel with the ground will tend to rotate the disk 8, and the compression of the rear edge of the disk, due to the pressure of the heel against the surface of the ground, will compress the spring 13 so that when the heel is raised from the ground, and the spring resumes its normal shape, the stud 15, by reason of its engagement with the disk, will also tend slightly to rotate the disk 8, Therefore, during the act of walking disk 8 will be slowly rotated about its axis. Inasmuch as this disk will wear evenly the heel will at all times be square or straight.

It will be observed that during the act of walking the extreme rear portion of the heel does not alone en age the ground, and the rear edge of the disk 8 is intended to be located at a point where the greatest pressure exists, whereby it will better perform its function, and whereby it will protect the surface of the heel immediately behind it.

It will be noted that aside from the fact that the device retains the heel straight, it also acts as a cushion, thereby performing the functions of the rubber heels now quite general in use.

Referring now to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 5 to 9 inclu sive, the body of the heel portion 1 is provided with a support 16 located interiorly of the heel, preferably near the center portion thereof, said support being pointed so that it may be driven through several layers of the leather, of which heels are commonly constructed. The support 16 is provided at its upper end with a head 17, which is received in a centrally disposed socket 18 of a circular casing 19, said casing being provided with a disk-shaped bottom wall 20 and an upstanding rim 21. Portions 22 of the casing are struck downwardly and inwardly so as to engage with the lower surface of the head 17 of the support, whereby the parts are fastened together, so that while the casing is held in position upon the heel it is capable of a rotative movement relative to the heel and the support upon which it is mounted.

The casing 19 is set into the bottom of the heel, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. Positioned wlthin the casing and fixed therein, as by means of struck-up portions 28, which enter the material thereof, is a disk-shaped member 2a, which is preferably made of leather, rubber, or some suitable fibrous material possessed of anti-slipping qualities. The disk, it will be noted, is confined within the casing 19 so that it can rotate therewith.

Located directly behind the disk,'andfastoned to the material of the heel proper, is a semi-circular strip of metal 25, preferably steel, said strip being held in position as by means of the nails or pegs 26; and located directly behind this metallic strip is a similarly formed strip, preferably of yieldable material 27, such for instance as rubber. This strip which forms the rear edge of the heel is fastened to the heel proper, as by means of the nails or pegs 28.

- In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, 1 have shown the easing 19 as being incased in a rubber sheet. This construction is useful in that it forms av relatively tight engagement between the wall of the socket in the heel and the rotatable disk, preventing the entrance of dirt,

sand, etc., between the relatively movable parts. 7

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, it will be noted that for the strips 25 and 26 there has been substituted a plurality of circular plugs 27, which are preferably formed of rubber, leather, or some other yieldable material, said plugs being preferably held in position as by means of the pins or nails 28.

in the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 12 the strip 29 is preferably formed of metal, such strip being provided with a plurality of apertures wherein are inserted plugs 30 of either leather, or yieldable material.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 13, for the strip 29 has been substituted a plurality of separate pieces of metal and fibrous or yieldable material 31 and 32 respectively, said strips being; disposed in alternate relation. the whole constituting; a

semi-circular inclosure for the rear'surface of the disk.

Located. behind the circular aperture which is formed in the heel, is a metallic'strip L8 proviaed with a plurality of cutaway porurge the disks rotation to a slight degree each time the heel of the wearer is engaged with the ground.

It will accordingly be seen that l have provided a construction well adapted to attain, among others, all the aims and objects above pointed out, in an exceedingly simple and eflicient manner. The cushion members provided upon the rear of the heel relieves the wearer from the shock due to the contact of the heel with the ground, and the metallic parts take the wear which would otherwise be sustained by the cushioning; members. The disk is so constructed and disposed that it will tend to rotate during" the contact with the ground when worn, and if desired, may also be rotated manually by inserting a. screw driver or coin in the centrally disposed slot indicated at 31.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a heel having arecess formed in its lower surface, a wear piece forming a portion of the wall of said recess,

disk mounted in said recess, and means positioned within said heel for rotatably supporting said disk.

2. In a device of the class described, the

inounted in said recess, and resilient means for elevating the rear edge of said disk above the surrounding surface of the heel.

l. In a device of the class described, the combination with a heel having a circular recess in its lower surface, a disk rotatably mounted in said recess, and resilient means for elevating the rear edge of said disk above the surrounding surface of the heel, said resilient means also'operating to rotate said disk during the act of walking.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a heel having a circular inclosed recess in its lower surface, a disk located in said recess, a ball and socket joint for rotatably supporting said disk, a wear piece provided upon the heel immediately behind said disk, and spring means located beneath one edge of said disk, adapted slightly to raise the same above the surrounding surface of the heel, said spring having means which during the act of wall inp; will tend to revolve said disk.

ln testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES G. ROBERTSON. lVitnesses L. HARDING Rooms, Jr, EMMA VVEINBERG. 

